This year for my evening devotions I am using a book of daily notes by Billy Graham titled, “Wisdom for Each Day“.  It was in the back of my mind to write something for Thanksgiving for Funeral Director Daily.  Then, I read the November 24 entry from “Wisdom for Each Day” and decided Billy Graham was a much more eloquent and talented writer than I could ever hope to be. . . so today you are receiving one of Mr. Graham’s Thanksgiving messages.

Here it is:

“The Pilgrim Fathers who landed at Plymouth to settle in what became the United States of America can teach us an important lesson about giving thanks.

 

During that first long winter, seven times as many graves were made for the dead as homes were made for the living.  Seed, imported from England, failed to grow, and a ship that was to bring food and relief brought instead thirty-five more mouths to feed, but no provisions.  Some pilgrims caught fish, and other hunted wild fowl and deer.  They had a little English flour and some Indian corn.

 

Yet William Brewster, rising from a scanty dinner of clams and water, gave thanks to God “for the abundance of the sea and the treasure hid in the sand.”

 

According to today’s standards, the Pilgrims had almost nothing, but they possessed a profound and heartfelt gratitude to God for His love and mercy.  Gratitude is one of the greatest Christian virtues; ingratitude, one of the most vicious sins.

 

Our English words thank and think come from the same word.  If we’ll stop to think, we’ll be more thankful. 

 

So, in 1621, who was there at what is known as the “First Thanksgiving”?  Here is one version that I found:

“The “First Thanksgiving” was a 1621 harvest feast shared between 52 English Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag people in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.  It was a three-day event to celebrate a successful harvest, and the meal included wild fowl, deer, and local produce like corn and pumpkin, though it did not feature modern Thanksgiving staples like pumpkin pie. The event is a cornerstone of American history, but much of its modern perception is based on stories created centuries later.”    

Here is some more American history on the subject of Thanksgiving Day:

Article –  George Washington led the charge to establish Thanksgiving

Presidential Proclamation  #118— President Abraham Lincoln establishes Thanksgiving Day in 1864

Presidential Proclamation #2372— President Franklin D. Roosevelt establishes a fixed holiday for Thanksgiving as the 4th Thursday in November.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”